Skylar's heartbeat accelerated to a dangerous degree as she watched Lilith saunter to her, the blade shining against the dim light. She willed herself to calm down. She wouldn't give the demon the satisfaction of seeing the fear that coursed throughout her body.

The petite blonde hunched down next to her, placing a delicate finger on the tip of the large knife and twisting it back and forth. "It'll all be over soon. This isn't the end…it's only the beginning."

Skylar attempted to ground out the words that were lost. She still couldn't speak despite the scream that she quietly sounded from within her throat. Her body twitched slightly, but it was no use. She couldn't move. She was proving to be a pathetic hunter. Lilith was in her sights and was about to win this fight.

Lilith placed Skylar on her back against the cool floor and lifted one of her arms, inspecting the inside of her wrist. Placing the blade against her skin, Lilith slit vertically until a stream of blood poured from Skylar. She watched the liquid from her own body pool to the ground and into the spiral, the blood following the formation. It began to shine bright against the darkness.

Lilith placed the blade against Skylar's other wrist, repeating her actions until blood poured down once again. The pain was surprisingly bearable, which couldn't be a good sign. Her vision was beginning to blur, but she could clearly see the room beginning to light up from the blood that slowly trailed around them.

Lilith looked pleased with herself, and with Skylar. The demon reached out and smoothed her dark hair back from her forehead in a gentle caress that was laced with manipulation.

"It's working," she said with a smile. "Soon, this will all be over and then paradise can begin."

Lilith lifted her head, a huge grin spreading against her wide mouth in excitement. "They're here."

Skylar furrowed her brow, surprised to find that she was no longer held against her will. Lilith had released her hold, but now her body was too weak to protest in any way. She turned her head towards the door, and through her blurred vision, saw Ruby, Sam, and Dean enter through the large oak doors.

It took no time for them to notice her state and the blonde women that hunched down next to her, a bloodied blade still placed within her palm. "Sam," she purred. "I've been waiting for you."

Sam stayed rooted in place, holding Lilith's gaze in a steady challenge. Dean took out his blade, his impulsiveness taking over, as he began running forward. Skylar winced as he went flying through the air, his back hitting the far wall while he stayed elevated off of the ground. He was pushing against the force, making little progress in breaking free. Through the pounding in her ears, Skylar could vaguely here the vulgar words coming from his lips as his face twisted in emotional agony.

"It's over, Lilith!" Sam screamed. "I'm strong enough to kill you and end all of this."

"I would like to see you try," she said in a sweet voice, once again manipulating her prey. Sam had no idea that that was what she was counting on. She needed Sam to kill her in order to finish the ritual.

"Sam…" Skylar spoke quietly, having a hard time voicing her own words. The sound of his name was lost as her brother-in-law began his assault against the demon.

He was expelling her, giving her what she wanted. "Sam – stop," she said more forcefully. But the sounds of electricity from Lilith's body and the wind that held Dean in place were drowning out her pleas.

The ground began to shake, the cracking sound unnerving. Skylar's panic once again became highlighted as it dawned on her that she was literally being fed to the beast. Lucifer was going to rise from below, and the ground would open up to swallow her whole. He would be free.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't realize that it was over until Lilith's body fell the ground, her face only inches from her own. Blood began to pour from the blonde's mouth, mixing with her own. The illuminating light became brighter as the cracking sound grew stronger. She could hear Sam's panicked voice because he couldn't understand how it hadn't stopped the inevitable.

She could hear her father's voice saying he had no idea they planned to use Skylar in order to open the cage.

She could hear Ruby's excitement as she told Sam what had just happened.

The cracking sound became more and more violent. The ground was quaking at this point, and it would only be a matter of moments before she fell through. It began to split against her back as she waited with fear through the sickening feeling she continued to experience from the blood loss.

And then it happened.

Her legs began to dip down as her body slid forward. She prepared herself to die. There was no way out. Skylar began to fall. She could feel the unbearable heat against her own skin.

And somehow, she stopped her decent as she watched Lilith's lifeless vessel drift downwards into the pit of fire. She was transfixed by the simplicity of it. A river of fire and a bright white light that was almost too much to look at.

She was transfixed by the sight.

Skylar gazed upwards, realizing that Dean had her by her slit wrist, his own palm covered in her blood. Despite the liquid that continued to drip from her, his grip remained firm. It was as if he was waiting for the shaking to cease before pulling her upward.

And as she looked back down, the form she saw was indescribable. It was a demon in its true form, hideous to an immeasurable degree. She knew that Dean saw it too, because it was at that moment that she began ascending upwards despite the shaking that made it difficult to firmly expel her from hell's grasp.

Dean somehow managed to pull her upwards with one arm until she safely slid across solid ground. He tried to stand her own her feet, but she couldn't find her footing. She was holding on by a mere thread. If hell fire didn't kill her, then the loss of blood would.

He scooped her up into his arms and began to run. Gazing over her husband's shoulder, she witnessed Ruby's lifeless body and no one else in sight. Clearly Sam and her father were long gone by that point. She couldn't blame them. It would take a miracle for her and Dean to get out alive.

And as he continued to run, the building began to crumble around them. She closed her eyes against the offensive shards that began raining down. It felt like hours when it couldn't have been more than mere minutes before she felt the cool night air hit her body and Dean's steps coming to a halt. Once the relief of freedom engulfed her, Skylar allowed herself to be overcome by darkness.

"Dean! Dean!"

Dean's gaze was riveted in place as he watched Skylar being lifted into the ambulance on a stretcher. In the far recesses of his mind, Sam's voice drifted to his ears. He was yelling at him to get inside before the ambulance took off. But his feet remained unmoving.

The church building was a crumbled mess as a crowd of onlookers stood around, gaping at the events taking place.

Dean looked behind him, into the night; the need for bloodshed overtaking his body.

And with one final glance at his brother's perplexed and panicked features, he slowly walked to the Impala and got inside, revving the engine as he put Baby in reverse and accelerated backwards. Heaven help any poor soul that got in this way at the moment.

As the street corner came in view, he turned himself around and drove forward, pushing his car well over the speed limit as his tires squealed against the concrete.

His wife was on the brink of death because he failed to protect her. Skylar was his responsibility and he had pushed her away from him and into the waiting hands of Ike Evans. It was a long time coming. Over the years, he had resisted the urge to slowly drain the life out of that bastard. Dean had thought about it far too many times. What would it be like to look the older man in the eye as he took his life?

It was morbid, to say the least.

But he had had those thoughts when Ike was merely a bad and distant father. And now that he purposely offered his daughter as a sacrifice to die, the game had changed.

Dean was no longer going to play nice. The anger within could no longer be suppressed.

Dean knew that he wouldn't be able to take his time. The rage he felt was unbearable, and at this moment, he would never be able to stop from doing what he felt he had too. Dean knew that he could walk away. He could go to the hospital and sit beside his wife; be the perfect husband.

But that wasn't who he was. What he was about to do could damage any possible connection he had left with Skylar. However, he didn't care. If he didn't slice the bastard in half, he would spend the rest of his life wishing he had.

The life of a hunter was too short to waste on regrets.

Dean knew that Ike wasn't far. He couldn't have gotten more than a 10 minute head start.

As the bastard watched his daughter begin to drift into the pits of hell, he took one look at her and ran out of the door. Dean had a strong urge to go after him, but he had to at least try and save her. He would never wish for her to experience what he had gone through for 40 excruciating years. If she had to endure the terrors of hell, he was going to be with her.

Dean took off at a sprint; at a pace that he had never experienced prior to that moment. It felt as if his feet weren't even touching the floor. And when he slid across the ground, he reached for her without a moment to spare, grabbing tight to her slit and bloodied wrist.

Looking into the pits of hell had brought back every memory he had had of his time down under. The fire had felt like an oven despite not touching the flames.

But he held tight to his wife, determined to not let her down once again.

And as the sight of Lucifer came into view, hideous and near blinding, he fought against the quaking earth, making it difficult to firmly pull Skylar to safety. Adrenaline had been his only saving grace at that moment.

And by some miracle, perhaps God himself, Dean had been able to pull her to safety and run. And despite the temporary safe haven, Lucifer was now free. When one problem was solved, another one…more sinister, would emerge.

Most of the time, life wasn't worth living.

Dean picked up his pace as he drifted around the corner, not a single person left in sight. It was at that moment that Ike's van came into view. Dean pressed his accelerator to the ground, his lips turned back into a snarl.

"I'm sorry, Baby," Dean said as he waited for the perfect opportunity. By the swerving and acceleration of the van in front of him, it was clear that Ike was aware of Dean's presence and that he was royally fucked.

The old van held no chance against his precious Impala. Dean winced at the thought of what he was about to do, but Baby would just have to understand. She'd been in more accidents than he could count, and she always came back better than ever.

As Ike turned the corner sharply, Dean cut the steering wheel to the left, hitting the side of Ike's van. The impact was strong and unyielding. Dean grimaced at how harsh it actually was, but he kept his foot firmly to the floor, attempting to slide their vehicles until another object held Ike firmly in place.

There was nowhere to go…no way to escape.

Dean smirked despite the blood that poured from the side of his own head upon impact. However, the look on Ike's face more than made up for this moment.

Dean stepped out of the Impala, watching closely as his longtime nemesis attempted to find an escape route. A small part of Dean wanted the man to run. He wanted to hunt him down and kill him like the animal he was.

Dean walked slowly to his trunk, opening it to observe the weapons from within. As he began to reach for a gun, he pulled back short with a look of murder in his eyes. A gun would be a waste of this precious moment.

Dean grasped to the right, lifting a machete from its hilt, the sharp sound it made drifting sweetly to his ears. He grinned slowly at the thought of what was about to happen.

He knew that he was all shades of fucked up.

Dean strolled around Baby, jumping onto the hood of his car. Ike was attempting to break the widow from the other side, fear laced throughout his features. Dean lifted his boot, and with one swift kick, shattered the glass from the driver side.

Ike's face paled as he backed away as far as he could get. Pleading for his life.